City invites public input on future tax policy; survey to launch fall 2026

The City of Saskatoon is preparing to engage residents, residential and non-residential property owners and renters on the principles, goals and trade-offs City Council may consider when developing a future (property) tax policy.

The City’s tax policy Engage page is now available; it provides residents and stakeholders with background information and an overview of the project’s scope, including the areas where public input will be considered. The tax policy public online survey opens in October 2026. Paper copies of the survey will be available.

The tax policy engagement is focused on how the total municipal property tax revenue requirement, set through the City’s budget process, is shared between residential and non-residential properties. The tax policy engagement project will not decide or influence the City's budget process, service levels, individual property assessments or appeals.

Non-residential properties are sometimes collectively called commercial properties. This tax class includes commercial and industrial properties, agricultural land, elevators, pipelines and railways. Non-profit is not a property tax class.

Reassessment updates property values, and some property types may increase in value faster than others. Tax policy can help manage change in the share of municipal property tax paid by the residential and non-residential property classes as a result of reassessment. All property types in Saskatchewan will be reassessed in 2029.

City Council has historically set a tax ratio at the start of each legislated four-year reassessment cycle. In April 2025, City Council set the current tax ratio at 1.71:1. This means that for every $1.00 in property tax paid by a residential property owner, a non-residential property owner pays $1.71 on an equivalent assessment.

The tax ratio approach distributes the overall municipal property tax requirement between property classes. It does not change the total amount of municipal property tax revenue collected by the City.

Public input received on tax policy principles, goals and trade-offs will help the City understand community priorities, including where residential and non-residential property owner perspectives align and where they differ.

Residents and stakeholders are encouraged to visit the City’s Engage page to review the information and prepare to participate in the October tax policy survey.

Visit saskatoon.ca/engage